THIS BOOK MADE ME THINK OF YOU
by Libby Page
A widow receives a year’s worth of books from her late husband and learns to live again in the process.
Matilda “Tilly” Nightingale always loved reading. It was her constant as a child, it led to her job as an editor in London, and she even met her beloved husband, Joe Carter, in a bookstore. But when Joe is diagnosed with cancer, Tilly stops reading altogether. After Joe dies, Tilly finds herself going through the motions at work and at home—until she gets a call from a local bookstore owner, Alfie Lane, saying he has a special gift for her from Joe. It’s a copy of Matilda by Roald Dahl, the classic children’s book about a girl who loves to read, and a letter from Joe. Before he died, he’d visited Alfie at Book Lane and set up a year of books for Tilly—one for each month, each with some sort of instruction or encouragement. Even though Tilly has no intention of getting back into reading, she finds herself drawn to the pages and the bookstore. Soon, the monthly books are encouraging her to cook, travel, and see a horizon beyond the pure grief she’s been living with. As the bookstore becomes a second home, Alfie becomes a treasured friend. Page creates a cozy world that shimmers with whimsy even as she delicately explores grief. It’s easy to understand why Tilly is reticent to open up her life, but that makes it all the more satisfying when she learns to let people in—whether those people are her family members or new friends. Alfie faces his own challenges in owning a bookstore, and the scenes in Book Lane are delightfully reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail. The novel serves as a reminder that books have the power to shape lives, and, as Tilly puts it, “Adventures are waiting for you. It’s time to open the page.”
The perfect cozy read for book lovers, sure to break and heal hearts.